Clarity In The Wake Of Thunder
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Oneshot based on a prompt from Regina fan (I've put it at the bottom to avoid spoilers). Cora has her heart. There's a storm which brings back memories for Regina and Cora of how scared Regina used to be by thunder and how Cora treated her. Tonight there's thunder again but will Cora's reaction be the same as it once was?


_Oneshot based on a prompt from Regina fan (I've put it at the bottom to avoid spoilers). Cora has her heart. There's a storm which brings back memories for Regina and Cora of how scared Regina used to be by thunder and how Cora treated her. Tonight there's thunder again but will Cora's reaction be the same as it once was? _

_Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy it :) _

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Regina winces as thunder rolls outside. She's always hated storms. Ever since she was a little girl she's been terrified of the loud noises and flashing lightning. She doesn't know exactly what it is that scares her about them so much. The darkness frightens her enough but when you add the booming sound of thunder all she can think of is danger and her mother's wrath. Nights like this always take her back to when she was a little girl and the thunder would hit their estate.

_Regina shrieks as thunder roars outside. The seven year old jumps out of her bed startled by the noise which is accompanied by a flash of lightning. She trembles in fear as another blast of thunder shakes the night. The noise is new and terrifying. It makes her think of magical explosions and danger in an unknown darkness. _

_She creeps down the hallway as tears begin to flow down her cheeks. With each bang of thunder more tears roll down her face. She runs to her mother's room hoping she'll comfort her and soothe away her fears. That's how it's supposed to work right? When you're scared you run to your Mommy and they look after you. That's what a servant's daughter told her and she hopes it's true because each thunderclap scares her more and more. _

_"Mommy!" she cries as she hurries into the room. _

_Her mother looks up with annoyance at the sudden interruption to her nightly routine, "You're supposed to be in bed," she says as a means of dismissal. Her daughter runs over to her, "But Mommy the noises are scary!" _

_Cora rolls her eyes feeling her irritation build, "For god's sake," she snaps angrily, "It's just the weather. Go back to bed you foolish girl." _

_Faced with her mother's fury Regina reels back in shock. A sob wracks her frame as another peal of thunder bursts through the night. "Mommy" she whimpers fearfully desperate for any kind of comfort. Cora however has had enough. She sighs before roughly grabbing Regina's arm and dragging her down the hallway. _

_"Mommy you're hurting me!" she cries out as she struggles against her mother's tight grip. The thunder seems to rage louder with her mother's growing anger and it only frightens Regina further. She thought her mother would make things better. Instead she's shoving her away. They get to her bedroom and Cora pushes her daughter into her room. _

_"Now go to sleep and don't bother me again" Cora instructs coldly as she towers above her daughter. _

_Lightning flashes and illuminates her mother's angry and stern face. Under the rumble of thunder Regina cowers seeing that there's so much to be afraid of in a storm. _

Cora frowns as hears the thunder outside. She too is remembering how cruelly she used to treat her own daughter when all Regina wanted was someone to hold her and make her feel safe. A tear rolls down her cheek as she thinks of how cold she was. _I should have been a better mother_ she thinks sadly. Now she has her heart back she sees all her old memories in a new light. Instead of seeing a bothersome daughter not behaving as she should, she sees a frightened little girl who she only scared further.

Tonight she can't help but worry about Regina. When she was a child Cora didn't worry enough if at all. She didn't give her the care and concern she deserved and that is one of Cora's biggest regrets. With her heart she loves her daughter with all she has and she wishes she could have done back when Regina was a child. She sighs miserably as the storm rages on. The thunder and lightning remind her of a time when she failed her daughter.

The noise that startles her isn't thunder. It's a shrill scream that pierces the night air and has her leaping out of the bed. When Regina was young Cora didn't give her the comfort she needed. Tonight she has a chance to give her what she needs and she won't leave her daughter to suffer alone anymore.

She walks into the room and sees Regina curled up in a ball and sobbing into her pillow to try and muffle her cries. The peals of thunder reminded of how her mother treated her when she was a child and though she yearned to she could not bring herself to seek out her mother's comfort for fear of her anger. Every time she considered it she remembered the first time she saw Cora's stern face looking down at her exaggerated by lightning.

That expression etched into her memory stopped her from leaving her bed.

Cora frowns as she sees her daughter so scared and instinctively walks over to her. Seeing her like this breaks her heart a little and she curses every night when she considered Regina an inconvenience rather than for the terrified little girl she was. _A heartless monster_ she thinks knowing this must have been how others saw her too. She was indeed. Tonight she isn't. Tonight she has her heart and she will do her best to be there for her daughter.

She walks over and moves to put an arm around her to try and soothe her. Upon seeing her mother however Regina jumps. Her mind is still replaying images of a mother who hurt her rather than soothed her. As the lightning flashes a little voice in her head screams _she's going to hit you!_ Part of her knows it isn't true and yet she backs away anyway, the thunder fuelling her terror.

Cora steps back knowing exactly what her daughter is thinking. She knows Regina is remembering what she was. She can tell just by looking at Regina's haunted and scared expression that her daughter has been lying here afraid of the storm but even more frightened of seeking out the mother who hurt her. That fact causes more tears to slip free from Cora's eyes. The knowledge that her daughter fears her more than a storm tells her everything about the kind of mother she is.

She's been vowing to do better since the day she got her heart back and tonight is a chance to prove that she is not the same woman she was. Tonight she sits down at the edge of the bed and looks at her clearly distressed daughter.

"I'm not going to hurt you baby," Cora promises, "I know I did in the past honey. I know when you wanted me I wasn't there and I'm so sorry for that. I wish I had been a better mother to you back then. I wish that with all my heart. I know I cannot change the past but I can be here for you now. Please let me look after you like I should have done every storm."

Regina chews her lip hesitantly before another roll of thunder makes her jump. She takes a look at her mother. For once in a storm her mother's presence is not increasing her terror. Instead it feels different. It feels safe. "Mama," she says quietly as a test of her mother's patience. Cora gives her a reassuring smile before cautiously opening her arms, "Come here honey," she says scooting forwards. Regina hesitates for a second before thunder roars overhead and she hugs her mother tightly.

Cora holds her and pauses for a moment wondering what to do next. She's never done this before. She's never been the source of comfort. She takes a deep breath and lets her heart guide her. She rubs her hand on Regina's back to try and calm her down before beginning to rock her gently. Cora's not good at this. She was the source of fear not safety. With her heart back she knows which one she'd rather be. Her daughter starts to sob against and leans closer into her mother's embrace and Cora knows that means what she's doing is working. She continues rocking and trying to soothe Regina's sobs. "I'm here," she whispers, "You're okay. It's all going to be alright," she promises.

The embrace is what makes Regina start to sob. For the first time in a storm she feels safe in her mother's arms. It's new and a little overwhelming but it also goes a long way in proving to Regina that she has a mother now, that she can go to her and not expect anger. As a little girl she knew going to Cora meant wrath. With her mother rocking and soothing her she finally feels like she has a mother, the one she always wanted to have. She feels safe and so she lets herself sob, a little out of fear but more out of relief and happiness that for once she isn't lying in bed alone with just her own arms to comfort her but instead she has someone to take care of her.

Cora holds her through the sobs accepting that this is her role as mother. Without her heart she thought being a mother meant discipline and guiding Regina to a life she thought she should have. Now she understands that being a mother means so much more than that. It means being the safe place in a storm and taking care of your child. She rocks Regina until her daughter's breathing evens out and she falls asleep.

It takes her breath away for a moment. In the Enchanted Forest she never took the opportunity to revel in being a mother or appreciate the little moments of having a child. She realises in that moment that she has never seen her own child sleep until now. She had heard other mothers talk about how perfect that moment is but had ignored it. Tonight she understands it.

Tonight she smiles happily. For once she was safe harbour for her daughter. She hopes this storm will pass soon. She looks down at Regina's face, at how peaceful she appears in her sleep as she dozes against her mother, her thumb half in her mouth. She smiles at the small details. She never took the time to appreciate them before. She does now. She feels a great deal of gratitude to the organ in her chest. Her heart has given her so much. It gave her regret and sadness but it also gave her a second chance. It gave her love and happiness and allowed her to see what kind of mother she wanted to be for her daughter.

She gently lowers her daughter down into her bed and tucks the covers up over her. Thunder roars overhead and Cora sits down. Storms never meant anything to her in the past. They were just noise and light. Nothing more. Tonight she saw them with a new clarity. She saw her past with fresh eyes and she didn't like what she saw. She vows that her future and Regina's will be less bad memories and more good ones. She hopes she can keep that silent promise. In the past she would have left Regina in her room without a second thought. Tonight she can't. Tonight she hears the thunder roar and the lightning flash and she can't bring herself to leave.

She kisses the top of her daughter's head before ruffling her hair and pulling the covers tightly around her. Cora grabs an armchair before setting it down next to the bed. She sits in it just for a few minutes she tells herself, just to make sure Regina's okay. She watches her daughter sleep for about half an hour before sleep overtakes her.

Regina wakes with a start later in the night and sits up. She rubs her eyes tiredly before looking at her clock. The numbers glare 3:43 and she sighs. She yawns in exhaustion before remembering the storm. She never normally sleeps so peacefully in a storm. With a small smile she remembers how her mother came to comfort her. It's been a strange learning curve having a caring mother after all this time but she's getting there and with each day they make new progress. Right now what matters most to Regina is that in the throes of thunder and lightning she felt safe instead of terrified and helpless.

A soft snore drags her from her thoughts and she smiles again as she sees her mother asleep in an armchair. She stands slowly before padding quietly across the room to grab a spare blanket. She quickly covers her mother open before kissing the older woman's forehead. "Night Mama," she whispers before settling back into her own bed knowing that if she needs her, her mother will be there.

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_Full prompt: Cora is living with Regina and she has her heart. One night time there's thunder and lightning. Regina is scared and she remembers when she was a little girl and was scared and Cora used to be angry with her. Now she thinks Cora will be the same way. But Regina screams and cries and Cora hears and goes in and see her scared little girl. She's not angry but worried for her daughter. She goes near Regina and tries to put her arm around her but Regina thinks she's going to hit her and Cora know this. Cora say don't worry baby I am not going hit you. Let mama look after you and Regina lets Cora hold her until Regina falls asleep. Cora's still awake and she doesn't want to leave Regina so she sleeps with her daughter – Regina fan_

_Thanks for reading :)_


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